If all goes to plan, I should be having my FET in mid-December, with my 2 wk wait (TWW) concluding between Xmas and NYE. I am telling my family that I can't guarantee that they will see me during the few weeks before the FET or during the TWW, because I'll be shielding.
My flatmate is v concerned because she will be doing all the usual Xmas partying, and my dad is upset that he is coming for Xmas to stay with my sister from France where he lives, and I may not really see him (as my nieces will be there, both under the age of 10, so there's the risk they will carry illness and my dad is a risk as he will have just got off a plane).
Anyway, please can anyone give me some advice about what the risk of catching covid around the FET really is? I don't want to stress everyone out and upset them unnecessarily.
My clinic has said you have to be covid free for 28 days before the FET. So I have worked out roughly when I need to shield from, with the risk if I caught it before the FET being that I would have to cancel the cycle, pay a financial penalty and delay the FET until after Xmas. Other than that, I guess the only other risk is whether Covid 19 could jeopardise the embryo during the TWW and I don't know if it could. Does anyone know and are there any other risks?
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LaraCRGH
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do your clinic test for covid for a FET? Ours only test for egg collection because of sedation but not for a FET and we don’t need to shield before or after just be covid free when getting sedated. I haven’t shielded at all for any transfers over the past year and was just a little more careful before egg collection in the summer. There are risks from covid and other things out there of course so you need to do what you are comfortable with and you wouldn’t want to lose money if your clinic do test for it at some stage but you might want to balance that up with what you might need support wise from your family too 🤗 I would defo be seeing my family if I were in your shoes over Christmas and new year and would probs test early if I could during the 2WW to see if it has worked to take some of that pressure off as well. That’s a lot of pressure to put on yourself lovely for a lot of ‘what ifs’ 🥰 maybe you could just take it a step at a time nearer the time and see what you feel comfortable with? xx
Thank you so much. You are absolutely right that I will need the support of family and friends. I feel very reassured by the feedback I've received on this forum and one other one too, and you are all saying very similar things - that I don't need to worry about covid harming the embryo and that it is prob best to take a middle road of being careful but not too extreme. My clinic don't test for covid anymore, but they just recommend not to get it. If I am positive within 28 days of the transfer though the cycle would be cancelled, which would have costs to body and wallet, but I am going to heed your advice. That's a good point about taking the pregnancy test a bit early too. Thank you for your supportive words!
Are you with the clinic in your name? If so they didn't even test me for covid before my FET in August. I had to send them photos of a couple of lateral flow tests before appointments but that had stopped completely by the time I did my FET (1st August)... Aside from wearing a mask on public transport I kind of carried on as normal aside from avoiding busy pubs and restaurants and sitting outside where possible, but I kept seeing friends and family etc.
Are you vaccinated and have you had boosters? I am not sure there is enough evidence about the impact of covid on transfer success rates yet but covid isn't as strong as it was, particularly if you are boostered up, and it doesn't seem to be impacting babies when pregnant women get it, or at least not what they have seen so far x
Thank you - yes, I'm at the clinic that's in my name. So I guess if I do catch covid it would be about my honesty rather than them asking for a test, but I couldn't live with myself if I stepped in the clinic if I had covid, so I know I would be honest about it (I know you weren't suggesting I should though 😀). I am vaccinated but it's been so long since the last booster. Anyway, I've managed to get an appt next week for an early booster, which will be just before the FET cycle, so I'm really pleased - that will help to relieve my stress. Everyone's feedback has really helped though, and I am going to be less hardliners now and more sociable
Hi Lara. There is lots of information re covi 19 here on the website fertilitynetworkuk.org/?s=c... plus I believe young children are eligible for vaccination too, so you can check re your nieces too. Good luck! Diane
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Frozen embryo transfer instead of fresh embryo
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